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Monday, April 13, 2026
Page 1 of 15
JEROME COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Monday, April 13, 2026
PRESENT: Ben Crouch, Chairman
Charles Howell, Vice Chairman
Ryan Treanor, Deputy Clerk
Meeting convened at 9:00 am.
Commissioner Watkins was absent.
Commissioner Reports
Commissioner Howell – Commissioner Howell stated that he had received the numbers for
veterans affairs from Twin Falls County. The veterans affairs office has helped with 96 cases in
Jerome County. He attended the Jerome 20/20 meeting. There was an update given from Jerome
County. Then he attended the MPO meeting. There has been approval to expand the road from
Kimberly to Twin Falls from 2 lanes to 4 lanes. The plan for the third bridge was approved. The
budget for the MPO board will be increasing for the upcoming fiscal year due to more projects
being taken on. Later he attended the ribbon cutting with the chamber for the new D&B. He
attended the chamber luncheon. He also discussed the candidates for Sheriff with individuals to
gain further input on the upcoming decision.
Commissioner Crouch – Commissioner Crouch stated that he attended the fair board meeting.
There were some updates from the horse racing committee. He attended the chamber luncheon
and there was a presentation on America 250. Then he attended the ribbon cutting for the new
D&B. Later he attended the IAC legislative meeting. He also discussed the candidates for Sheriff
with individuals to gain further input on the upcoming decision. He also attended an event with
the fire department to check some of the windows of the Administration Offices Building that
could be used in case of emergency.
Maintenance Department Monthly Report
Brent Culbertson, Andrea Gonzalez, and Dan Chatterton were present.
Brent gave a report on the maintenance department. He stated that he is in the process of Spring
protocol processes. He did some research on the adult probation offices, and how there could be
more offices created. There were some issues with power after the new remodel, he has worked
to rectify those issues. He also worked on some issues after the fire drill was done with the
Administration Offices Building.
He did some research into the request of the coroner facilities. He was able to look into the
building outside where the public defenders office was. There could be the option to add a
garage door to the autopsy room that is being discussed. The inside of the building could be
separated into separate office spaces if necessary. There would need to be some more updates to
the autopsy room that would include electrical and pipe work. The pumps and compressors for
the room could be placed on the north side of the building to help with the coolers.
Monday, April 13, 2026
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Coroner Facilities
Dan Chatterton, Cy Lootens, and Matthew McGregor were present.
Dan stated that he would like to see the same improvements be made to the building behind the
administration offices building that Brent discussed. He thought that adding a drain to the
autopsy room floor would be a good idea. The other improvements that were discussed regarding
the autopsy room and potential office in the building in question were all ideas that Dan would
like to see installed. Matthew stated that with the autopsy room and office for the coroner being
moved in the future, that he would like to be prepared for installing cameras and any equipment
needed for internet services to be suitable in the building.
Overlook Project Update and America 250
Bill Bridges and Cy Lootens were present.
Bill stated that the drawings for the cement pad at the overlook project have been received. With
this being received the bids have been sent out for the project. He is planning to have the ribbon
cutting on May 21st. He stated that with the America 250 celebration that the Governor is looking
to have an event to be held at the overlook on July 8th. The event is going to be hosted by BLM
and Idaho Power. The head of Premier Security has purchased 250 flags that will be placed at
both events. He has purchased the ticket booth and the food stand buildings. The building
permits for both buildings have been paid for as of this morning.
He stated that once he has an account he is planning on creating the QR code to put out at the RV
park to start charging to stay. He is hoping to have this roll out in a couple of weeks. He is
wanting to put off charging entry fees to the overlook until the start of June.
Meeting recessed at 11:20 am.
Meeting reconvened at 1:17 pm.
Commissioner Watkins was present.
Track Stair Chair Purchase
Cy Lootens, Eric Jackson, Kirsten Hartley, and Nathan Jerke were present.
Cy stated that he has some quotes regarding a track stair chair. He was able to receive several
quotes for different options and how they can perform their task. He wants to discuss how the
purchase of this item will work since there is no line item under any budget for emergency
equipment. This would allow for the creation of a budget line item next year that would allow for
purchases like this. Kirsten stated that she was able to go to the fire department to have them
demonstrate how these chairs are used. She said that she was very impressed with how well they
worked and that they would be the best option of getting someone down the stairs in case of
emergency.
Magic Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization Long Range Plan
Monday, April 13, 2026
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Nathan Jerke, Kacie Buhler, Ryan Christensen, and Connie Kincheloe were present.
Nathan stated that he is part of the Magic Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization. He stated
that this is the first time that he has been able to go through a long-range transportation plan. The
presentation is for transportation 2050. This plan includes the transportation of Twin Falls,
Kimberly, and parts of Jerome. The plan is to go over the different modes of transportation in the
specific area. This projection helps to show different projects that need to take place to meet the
upcoming growth of the area. The plan needs to be kept in the amount of funds that the area
expects to have to make the plan feasible. It is difficult to plan for the funds of this with the flux
that can happen from funding from both the federal and state levels. He stated that there have
been multiple public meetings held in the area to discuss the plan and what is being seen with
current transportation. The biggest feedback that was received was congestion and safety on
busier roads. There was feedback received about increasing transit options between the cities in
the area. Part of this plan is to also look at all of the intersections, and right now there are only 8
intersections that are below standard.
There is expected to be an increase of 38% for homes in the metropolitan area. The largest
section of growth for Jerome County should be on the south side and southwest section of
Jerome outside of city limits. He stated that these areas have been planned for a while now to be
used for residential development. There are 21 projects that are already committed. There were a
total of 81 recommended projects from the long-term plan. A total of 3 illustrative projects were
included with the plan. Another section of the plans was a section regarding studies that are
being recommended. He stated that there are a lot of issues with the amount of finances will
actually be required for the projects in the plan.
Proclamation Regarding Community College Month
Tiffany Seeley-Case was present.
The Board has received the resolution from CSI regarding the recognition of Community
College month. The resolution is for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of CSI.
Commissioner Howell moved to approve the signing of the resolution 2026-16 to
celebrate CSI’s 60th anniversary. Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The
motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Discussion: The Board wanted to thank CSI for all that it does for the community
and hopes that the college has another successful 60 years.
Idaho Power Community Update
Nathan Murray, Connie Kincheloe, Kacie Buhler, Bill Bridges, and Ryan Christensen were
present.
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Nathan stated that he is from Idaho Power. This is not really a formal presentation but it is more
of a community update. He stated that Idaho Power has been able to work well with Jerome
20/20 and their director well. Idaho Power has also helped with donations to the overlook project
to see that project completed. He will be planning to attended the grand opening for the overlook.
There are a few locations in the county that take over a mega watt of power. Overall there are
currently seven. He stated that there is a new natural gas plant that Idaho Power is looking to
build in Twin Falls County. The facility is a 22 mega watt facility and is in the process of being
approved. The transmission lines for the SWIP lines are going to start construction towards the
end of the year. He wanted to see if there were any questions that the Board had. The Board
asked about . He stated that . The Board asked if the new gas plant is to help with the new
pipeline. Nathan stated that it would not be for that purpose. The Board asked regarding the
amount of power that Idaho Power is currently creating. Nathan stated that there are some reports
that can be shown about that. He stated that with the overall power from last year that Idaho
Power was a net purchaser. He also stated that there are some parts of the year where power is
sent out and other parts where power has to be purchased.
Snake River Canyon Parks Account Discussion
Tevian Kober and Bill Bridges were present.
Tevian stated that she is needing approval to open an account for the Snake River Canyon Parks.
She has reached out to the bank to see what is required to open a new account. She is needing
signatures to open the account and the approval of the Board. The Board also suggested that the
liaison from the Board to the Snake River Canyon Parks board be added to the account.
Commissioner Crouch moved to sign the letter so the bank knows that the Board
is in support of the account being created. Seconded by Commissioner Howell.
The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Consultation Discussion
Tess Molitor, Matthew McGregor, Tevian Kober, Sam Beus, and Cy Lootens were present.
Tess stated that she is a lobbyist and owns her own business. She is based out of Boise. She has
worked with many different issues over her career. She has also worked with several groups in
the Jerome area. She is an attorney and has a license to practice. She was born and raised in
Boise. After moving back to Boise she was able to work with a judge once she graduated with
her degree.
The Board stated that they want to see Triss help with getting the county’s message out and to
take control of the narrative for the information from the county. The information would be for
every part of the county and not just things from the Commissioners. The Board wanted to go
over some of the items that may want to have sent out to the public. Tess stated that there are
good things to continue to cover so that the county can get more information to the public on
important topics.
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Multi Factor Authentication/IT Purchases
Matthew McGregor and Sam Beus were present.
Matthew wanted to discuss the updates on Multi Factor. He was told about a year ago from
Microsoft that they will be initializing multi factor authentication. Microsoft has decided to start
this without notice. He stated that for those who would like to use personal devices for this can,
but that he has also looked into another option for those who can’t. The other option can also be
used for those who don’t have cell phones with them. These updates will also help to protect the
county from cyber attacks.
Commissioner Howell moved to approve the expenditure of $6,960.00 for Yubi
keys for multi factor authentication purposes, and $1,062.15 for new sheriff
badges for door access at the sheriff’s office. Seconded by Commissioner
Watkins. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Legal Counsel
Sam Beus was present.
Sam stated that he was needing to discuss the potential of using some funds to cover pay raises.
One of his employees is quitting in the next couple of weeks, and so he is going to use the funds
for that position to cover the raises that were going to take place.
Sign and Approve Claims
Commissioner Watkins moved to approve the claims as presented by staff.
Seconded by Commissioner Howell. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
To see an image of the report please see page 7 of the minutes.
Meeting adjourned at 4:32 pm.
Monday, April 13, 2026
Page 6 of 15
Meeting convened at 6:00 pm.
Amendments to the Jerome County Comprehensive Plan Chapter 10, and Jerome County
Zoning Ordinance Chapters 11 and 7. The purpose of the Comprehensive Plan amendment
is to clarify and reinforce the County’s commitment to the protection of agricultural land
in the siting of large-scale energy projects. The proposed amendments to the Jerome
County Zoning Ordinance will add a new Chapter 11–Energy Facilities, containing
standards and regulations pertaining to the siting of Energy Facilities. The proposed
amendments to Jerome County Zoning Ordinance Chapter 7–Special Use will repeal and
replace the chapter with a new Chapter 7–Conditional Use (To Be Held In Jack Nelson
Room, Room 306)
Carrie Ploss, Allen Ploss, Connie Kincheloe, Cathy Roemer, Larry Robbins, Jaime Valdez,
Jackie Floyd, Ufuoma Ojumah, Maureen White, Allen White, Jan Bull, Curtis Bull, Julie
DeWolfe Arroyo, Jacob Miller, Leon Letson, Rob , Fred McDonald, Kristine McDonald,
Elizabeth Koeckentz, Ivy Lyn, Aaron Menenberg, Jace Alexander, Doreen Alexander, Bill
Lickley, Laurie Lickley, Vern Eames, Katy Riker, Teri Stokes, Brittany Miller, Terri
Hammerstrom, Sandy Rose, Matthew Chojnacky, Emily Chojnacky, Sheila Haimon, Cindy
Woodward, Jerry Holton, Loretta Holton, Shawna McKay, Rashaya McKay, Lyle Johnstone,
Michael Sobetka, Andrew McKay, and Ian Haney were present.
The Board welcomed everyone in attendance to the meeting. The Board stated that the meeting is
to go over the energy ordinance, conditional use ordinance, and the comp plan. The purpose of
the meeting is to go over the proposed ordinances. The previous meetings were regarding a
workshop to discuss energy facilities and how to improve the energy ordinance. The meetings
were held with the planning and zoning commission to discuss the current proposed ordinance
and how to improve the energy ordinance. If this ordinance were to be passed that it would be
used as an interim ordinance with plans to update the ordinance going forward. The Board
wanted to note that there was a lot of good material to go through and that was reviewed in this
process. The Board wanted to have those who are planning to testify sworn in to the meeting.
During the time to testify there will be five minutes per individual. The Board will open up with
the applicant which would be the county. Kacie wanted to see the order that the Board wanted to
continue with reviewing the information.
Kacie stated that during the previous meetings that they reviewed chapter 10 and then opened to
comment. However chapter 10 and 11 are so intertwined that they should be gone over together
and then go to public comment. The Board agreed with that order.
Kacie stated that with the hot topics of energy facilities it was realized by the county that there
needed to be an ordinance created to discuss these facilities. The Board got together with Kacie
to discuss this process. In this process there was an emergency moratorium passed to ban all
applications for a time to allow for the drafting of an energy ordinance. The current proposed
ordinances discuss the installation and application process for energy facilities. Chapter 10
discusses the use of conditional use permits instead of a special use permit. Chapter 11 discusses
the energy facilities and where they would be allowed as well as the process for applying for a
permit to begin construction on a facility. After drafting these initial ordinances it was turned
Monday, April 13, 2026
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over to the planning and zoning commission to review. During this process the planning and
zoning commissioner recommended that the ordinances be denied as the language is too
restrictive. These notes were taken back to the Board to review before going further with the
process of adopting the energy ordinance. With the ordinances as they currently stand an energy
facility would have to be placed in a region that is zoned as some form of industrial zoning. This
was mainly to protect the agriculture land that the county has and to make sure that this land was
not harmed in the process of creating an energy facility.
Kacie stated that as the comp plan is currently written that it does have language regarding the
protection of agriculture land. With the current language there is nothing to prohibit several types
of energy facilities from being built in most zoning areas of the county. This was another urgent
matter that was noticed during the drafting process of this ordinance. It would help to update this
language to prevent energy ordinances from being built into areas inside the city or other areas.
The Board wanted to verify that if there were any updates to the ordinance as it stands that it
would not be able to be adopted today if it is approved. Kacie stated that would be correct. It
would take between 2-4 months to be able to pass a new ordinance due to publication and
hearing processes. The Board stated that they don’t have any further questions regarding this
item.
Favor
Lyle Johnstone
He stated that he is in favor of the overly restrictive ordinance as it currently stands. He would
like to go through a process to review and update the ordinance as necessary.
Connie Kincheloe
She stated that she is in favor of approving the ordinance as it currently stands just as Lyle
mentioned. Then it can be adjusted in the future to update it is necessary.
Against
Bill Likely
He stated that he is a farmer and rancher in the southwest area of Jerome. He would like to see
some changes be made to the ordinance as it currently stands. He would like to see something
added regarding an ag protection area as has been adopted in Valley County. It helps to show
those in and out of the county that owners want to keep their land for ag purposes and not use it
for other options. This would help to show how the owners feels about keeping their ground as
they are using it currently. There was an ag summit held by the Governor that went over the ag
protection areas and how they can be put in place to protect the ag ground of the county
residents. This is something that does not need to lead to a new resolution, but it is something
that is currently in place to help with this process. He understands that energy demands are going
to go up to those in the area, but that ag ground can still be protected in this process. He feel that
Monday, April 13, 2026
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this is an opportunity to lead with the protection of ag ground while also moving forward with
the increased demand of energy. The Board has questions regarding the implementation of the ag
protection areas in Valley County. Bill stated that it was something that was added to further
protect ag ground in an easy way.
Ufuomah
He wanted to thank the Board for the opportunity to speak tonight. He is here on behalf of his
company who has an application submitted to the county to review. He wants to stand on behalf
of his company to show that they are against the passing of the ordinance as it currently stands.
He wants to be a contributing partner to the community and help out in any way that he or his
company can. He wants to see the proposed ordinance denied as it is currently being proposed.
The BESS facilities do not really fit into the description of industrial zoning. The impact on land
is very minimal both in size and impact to the land itself. The zoning that is being proposed can
lead to issues with personal property rights, so as to not allow individuals to use their land as
they desire. There are other specifications that can be added before a facility project is approved
that would allow for better control than to outright ban the facilities. He would like to see the
chapter 10 & 11 ordinances denied so as to update the verbiage to something more applicable.
He will continue to attend the workshops to help educate and come to a better understanding.
The Board wanted to ask regarding the further provisions that he discussed and if that would be
fair if those same provisions were required of him. Uf stated that he feels that this would be fair
and that he would want to show how their facility can meet those extra provisions. The Board
asked about how his company would help with training those in the area about how to respond to
issues at the BESS facility. Uf stated that this would be something that his company would do
and not leave out. He feels that it is super important to help those to understand how to respond
to issues at the facility if there would be any. The Board wanted to ask about site specific issues.
Uf stated that
Leon Letson
He wanted to thank the Board for the opportunity to speak again tonight. He has reached out
several times on behalf of his company to deny the ordinance as it currently stands. The
ordinance as it currently stands is too restrictive. These rules would limit the ability to bring
more facilities into the area to meet demands. He discussed a research study that was done
regarding the current needs of power in the area. He stated that Jerome County has far exceeded
the demand of energy for most of the area. Most of this is due to the issue that comes with the
demand of power through the ag community. There are gas plants that are being permitted in
other counties to help with the growing demand. If options are pulled off the table there will be
greater issues with meeting the growing demand of this area. Most of the facilities that are in
Jerome County are not even on industrial zones. If someone is going through the process of
getting an application there would be many extra steps such as adjusting the comp plan and the
zoning of the property in question. There is a large desire to bring in facilities to the area with the
large transfer station that is in Jerome County. If there is a true desire to protect ag areas that
denying these facilities do not help with this issue. With the extra provisions it could also lead to
more facilities not coming into the area. The Board asked regarding how long the transfer station
has been in the area. Leon stated that he is not exactly sure how long but that he feels that it has
Monday, April 13, 2026
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been there for at least 20 years. The Board stated that they can’t control the increase in demand,
but that there needs to be something to allow for the controlling of where projects are placed.
Leon stated that he feels that this is important as well, but that it should not be denied as
agriculture areas control a lot of the landscape of Jerome County. This would lead to issues with
building projects in many of the areas. The Board asked regarding the use of energy especially
by those that are larger users of power such as large ag facilities. If the zoning is updated to
something different if it would be something that would help with this process. Leon stated that
with the update of this it would help to show that these facilities can match the definition of other
zoning and allow for more facilities to come in. If the land use has to be updated for these
facilities it would also create more issues in this process. The Board asked if the individual
worked for Ada County what he felt regarding the use of conditional use permits and if energy
facilities can be used for energy facilities. Leon stated that he feels that the conditional use
permit is the correct way to go, but that there still needs to be more flexibility of each site to
allow for different things to be used based on that parcel. Each parcel and piece of land is not
exactly the same and can be shown to be better or worse for agriculture purposes.
Elizabeth Kekerertz
She stated that she is here on behalf of Nextera Energy. She stated that there are some issues on
how the current ordinance reads. There are issues that are inconsistent that need to be changed to
make things match more uniformly. The code as presented states that there are differences in
amount of land for large scale between solar farms compared to a BESS facility. These could
lead to challenges in the future due to the language that is in the ordinance. There is also no
definition of what ag land is. Is it just a land that is zoned as ag or is it being used for ag. The
language also discusses how the facilities should not be impeding ag land and the purposes of it.
There is no definition regarding what impeding the land means. The rezoning of the land to
industrial also doesn’t make sense with the language defending ag land. If the land is rezoned
then there should be nothing to prohibit it as it has already been approved to the new zone.
Nextera has been going through a lot of the proper ways to get a special use permit. It feels like
there has been a lot of whiplash to this company during this process. These inconsistancies need
to be updated to be matched across the board to create a better process for applications.
Julie DeWolfe Arroyo
She stated that she appreciates the work that has been done on this process of creating the
ordinance. She feels that there should be an outright ban to all of the facilities. She wanted to
discuss a comment that was made previously that the quality of the land does not matter as much
as the quality of the farmer. If there is a better farmer they can continue to use poor land to good
growing use. She wanted to discuss that there is a need to protect the aquifer. The biggest
concern is the impaction of the land with these facilities, and that the aquifer needs to be
protected more than anything. She wants to state that she appreciates the commissioners and how
they have taken the comment of the citizens into account in this process. With the adoption of
this language it can help to protect property values and the citizens who live here. She wants to
see more provisions added into the process to protect the aquifer at all costs.
Katie Riker
Monday, April 13, 2026
Page 10 of 15
She stated that she is here on behalf of NGnorthamerica. She wants to reiterate some of the
previous comments that have been stated before. She would like to see that the approval of a
project is done on a case by case basis based on the piece of ground in question. She wanted to
discuss the previous workshop that was had discussing the information on different projects. She
also wanted to read some comments from the company that she represents, and how it is
important to allow for people to use their personal property rights as they see fit.
Daniel Sakura
He stated that he is attached to the area on behalf of descendants who were wrongfully
imprisoned at the Minidoka facility. He feels honered to have worked with the county on behalf
of opposing the Lave Ridge project. He wants to state that the county is in the crosshairs for the
building of facilities for windmill projects. There are several groups that have stated that they are
still interested in building wind facilities in the area. He wants to stand with the county no matter
what to defend the county. There are projects that are being proposed to send power to California
instead of being used for the local community. He stated that Governor Little recently signed a
bill to be able to further . There is no protection from federal ground for these projects. He
doesn’t want to see this especially with the community not being in favor of such projects. He
wants to thank the Commissioners for their leadership to protect the area from California
wanting to take the areas power.
Aaron Menenberg
He stated that he was waiting to speak until the end. He wants to be able to discuss some of the
other things that were brought up during the meeting. There are some things out there regarding
CAISO. One research study showed that through this project that Idaho residents saved up to 240
million dollars on energy costs through this agreement. With the counties that are covering parts
of this agreement with physical facilities that it helps with lowering tax costs to the community
as these facilities can eat up a lot of costs for property taxes. He wanted to also bring up the issue
that Jerome County is continuing to lead to a growing demand, and that Idaho Power has not
been able to meet that demand and has needed to consistently purchase power.
Daniel Haney
He stated that he has been trying to be calm as he has sat through this meeting. He likes that the
ordinance is restrictive, but feels that it should be even more restrictive. He wants to point out
that all those who have spoken about demanding the updates be made to allow for projects are
out of this area. He wanted to remind the Commissioners that they were elected to represent
those in this area. Jerome County is a place that smells like money, and that does not come from
these facilities. It comes from the ag in our area. Those are the things that drive our local
economy, it’s ag and not energy facilities.
Jackie Floyd
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She stated that the thing that has not been discussed is something that needs to be discussed first.
That is our aquifer. It is the life blood of all of our agriculture in the area. If this is ruined it will
ruin our area. She wanted to point out that if there is drilling further down than able, that it will
go into the aquifer and ruin the water. She read a lot of information that was put out by INL
regarding the radiation that was put out into the ground in that area and how it contaminated the
local water supply. If there is similar work done that digs below that threshold than it will ruin
our water and ruin the farming in the area.
Neutral
There were no neutral.
The Board opened up the meeting to discuss between themselves without further testimony or
input from staff.
Commissioner Crouch stated that he feels that he is in favor of passing the ordinance as is. There
will be further work sessions to further update the ordinance. There is not a lot of more time to
wait around and not have something adopted. Another important part is to show that the Board is
planning to keep their word by updating the language of the ordinance. The aquifer needs to be
protected at all costs. There are good options that can come forward and need to be presented
under the right conditions. The technology of these facilities are still new and changing. He
would like to see these prohibited for the time being until there is more done to solidify the
technology used in these facilities. The ordinance is not perfect, but it needs to be adopted now
to protect the area. With the updates that will be made it can help with any issues that may come
up including personal property rights. There were comments made even tonight that need to be
addressed, one of which is regarding the definitions that are in the ordinance. With those updates
it can lead to more .
Commissioner Watkins stated that he is also in favor of passing this ordinance. This ordinance is
not an end all but needs to be changed. There are a lot of things to think about in regards to
energy sources, the aquifer, and ag land. With a change in presidency there could be things done
differently to put the county in jeoperady again. The protection of ag land is still important and
always needs to be considered. It needs to be up to the person to continue to farm, use it for other
uses, or just retire. This process needs to have more attention given to be able to .
Commissioner Howell stated that he appreciates that the last person who came up discussed the
aquifer. It is the most important resource that we have and needs to be considered in the process
of any project. He feels that this meeting was much more informative and productive than the
other meetings that have been held. There were many more important topics brought forward to
consider and work to adjust in the future. There were also many more people in attendance to
discuss this ordinance. There needs to be different specifications for projects based on where the
project is being built. He is in favor of passing the ordinance as it has been presented.
The Board stated that they will close this section on move onto discussing the updates to the
chapter 7 section. Kacie wanted to see if the Board wanted to have a short break. The Board
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stated that they would like to continue and they made sure that everyone was sworn in who plans
to testify on the chapter 7 proposed amendments.
Kacie stated that there needed to be updates made to chapter 7 for quite some time. This was
something that was identified several years ago. This was something that staff checked with legal
and felt to adopt at the same time as the energy ordinance. The original language was presented
last year to the Board and to the planning and zoning commission. The planning and zoning
commission recommended to approve this amendment with several conditions. The areas that
were recommended the planning and zoning commission were . This discusses how the property
value of adjacent properties should be taken into account for approving an application. Both staff
and the planning and zoning commission felt that this should be removed. It was stated by both
groups that this should be considered but not a crucial point in either approving or denying an
application. Another section that was discussed was adding an expiration time frame to special
use permits. This language would allow for a permit to expire two years after approval if no
action was taken to complete building of the project. There could be an extension requested in
the two years that could help to give more time, but that the extension could also expire upon the
project not being completed in the extended time frame. She had reached out to other counties to
see what they allow under the verbiage for extensions.
The Board also stated that the change in verbiage from special use to conditional is that it shows
that the project would not be approved because it is special but being approved upon meeting
conditions.
Favor
Against
Lyle Johsntone
He stated that he is completely against a neighbor being able to lower the value of a neighbors
property value. He feels that this favors those who come in to an area first and can muddy the
water for those around me. He is totally against this idea and would give no surrounding land
owners a way to discuss the issues of things on other properties. He feels that is something that
he is totally against. Kacie stated that there could be some issues of interpretation of the
verbiage. He stated that the current verbiage protects the surrounding properties from others.
Julie DeWolfe Arroyo
She wanted to second what Lyle said about keeping that verbiage in. She wanted to point out that
in this verbiage a neighbor could put in a shooting range to make money, or a hog farm, or RV
park. If this is taken out then there is no recourse to those individuals. It should be made more
difficult to protect properties more and not just allow anything to be done. This would allow for
the protection of the area and that if someone is doing something drastically different than those
around them that it should not be allowed.
Loretta Holton
Monday, April 13, 2026
Page 13 of 15
She wanted to state that she gets what Kacie is stating. This should be something that should be
removed so that it can be considered just as much as other things. This should be considered just
as much as protecting the aquifer.
The Board stated that they will now move on to the discussion faze with no further testimony
being requested.
Sam stated that he wanted to review the wording of the section in question and make sure it is
doing what it is supposed to. He stated that it should be fine to be striked out so as to allow for
property value to be considered with both passing or denying an application, while not making it
the sole reason to do such.
Commissioner Crouch stated that he is fine with that section being taken out. It is part of the
Commissioners job to watch out for the members of the community. There needs to be a
protection of personal property rights, while also making sure to protect those around the project
in question. He would be in agreement with staff on the time frame of obtaining a conditional use
permit. Kacie stated that the time frame of two years is for the purpose of obtaining a permit,
rather than finishing the project once the permit is approved. Commissioner Crouch thanked
Kacie and wanted to confirm how the extension would work then under this verbiage. Kacie
stated that the extension would only be in regards to receiving the permit and that the permit
would need to be in operation after five years of the written decision approving the permit. An
application can also take several years to receive required parts of the conditional use permit
process, so the time frame is not so long that it gives too long of a time. This would also help
with keeping the request to current ordinance language. Commissioner Crouch stated that with
this clarification that he would be in support of approving only one extension, and to pass the
ordinance as it is currently proposed. He would like to see the section removed.
Commissioner Watkins stated that he would be in favor of approving the discussed sections and
removing the numbered sections that Commissioner Crouch discussed.
Commissioner Howell stated that he is also in favor of everything that has been discussed.
Commissioner Crouch stated that with the Board all being in favor of passing all ordinances as
discussed the Board will wait to pass the ordinances until they are fully written and agendized for
approval.
Meeting adjourned at 7:53 pm.
________________________
______________________________
Ryan Treanor, Deputy Clerk
A. Ben Crouch, Chairman
Monday, April 13, 2026
Page 14 of 15
______________________________
Charles M. Howell, Commissioner
______________________________
Art Watkins, Commissioner
BUDGET TOTALS
DEPARTMENT
CLERK
1
PAYROLL
$ 43,652.30
ACCT PAY
2)
RAND TOT.
43,652.30
2|ASSESSOR
REASURER
12,731.13
7,676.72
12,900.71
7,732.37
£A) 68
£A) 49
4A) 69
P
29|GENERAL FUND RESERVE
$
al OMAN RESOURCES $ 5,022.31 $ 5,022.31
6|CORONER $1,019.22 $1,019.22
TRIBUR DING & GROUNDS WA $ 8,856.09 2,235.37 |$ 11,091.46
11|—EMERGENCY MANAGEMEN| $__2,120.00 $2,120.00
I3[EXTENSION AGENT. [$5 776.28] [5 776.26
14|DATA PROCESSING $9,675.20 1,349.69 |$ 11,024.89
{GELECTIONS abe Ls 140.00
16|CHARITY $ :
is|GENERAL 5 72740556 —vossaze[s —aas0a.09
21|PLANNING & ZONING $ 15,763.27 15,763.27
ee ee $ 2,202.80 2,202.80
eneral Fun
30|\VETERANS
ub Total
Ay) A) 69 | 6 | 69/69
SHERIFF
SHERIFF-DETENTION
ADULT PROBATION
PUBLIC DEFENDERS
JUVENILE PROBATION
GENERAL JUSTICE
Sub Total (Justice Fund)
5
6
8
04 96 i) . D 859.6
$ 95,398.76|$ 4,846.73|$ 100,245.49
$ 10,448.00 [$ 696.64 11,144.64
$34,323.21 [$ 729.25 35,052.46
ee ee
$ 12,619.70 | $ 462.44 13,082.14
$ 140,464.37 | $ 184.07 |$ 140,648.44
$
AIRPOR
ETERANS MEMORIAL
6|DISTRICT COURT
$ 397,650.76 20,382.06 |$ 418,032.82
$ 10,518.35 3298.14 13,816.49
7|FAIR
9(CAPITAL FAIR
11
15|ELECTION CONSOLIDATION
20
23|SOLID WASTE
24/TORT
27
29
38
38
39
41
48
BOND REDEMPTION
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
ub Total
$
$
$
$
$
$12,346.24 12,346.24
$22,496.13 22,496.13
3,333.36
21,579.66
$3,333.36
$ 21,579.66
BROADBAND GRANT FUNDS $
$ 54,649.97|$ 71,308.84
$ 644,886.60 |$ 106,195.47
$ 125,958.81
$ 751,082.07
Text is extracted by machine from the official file linked on each page; the official file is the record. Sentinel Media, LLC.